UPhongolo Local Municipality

UPhongolo Local Municipality, formerly known as Pongola, is a local municipality in Zululand District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. The municipality code is KZ262. As of 2007,

* the mayor of the municipality is B Mncwango.
* Manager: MA Ngcobo
* speaker: NJ Mncwango

Elections

The municipality is divided into 11 electoral wards. [http://www.demarcation.org.za/ward_delimitation/FINAL/gz1/kzn/KZ262.htm]

Location

The town Pongola (uPhongolo in Zulu) is situated at the N2 freeway, 380 kilometres from Durban and 420 from Johannesburg. The town has about 10,000 inhabitants and is the centre of a fertile farming area, the main products being sugarcane, citrus and cotton. Pongola is like a green oasis. It has nice residential areas, the streets lined with palm trees, well assorted supermarkets, an Internet café, an arts&crafts centre, a hospital, a small airport and a 9-hole golf course.

Access

There is only one entrance to the park. Take the N2. 26 km before Pongola (uPhongolo) turn right to Golela, 10 km south of the border to Swaziland. Turn right in front of the border post. After 2 km on a gravel road one reaches the gate and after a further 3 km the camp.

Dangers

Northern KwaZulu-Natal (north of St. Lucia) unfortunately falls within the malaria area. The risk is not high, but even the dangerous Malaria Tropica occurs here, and one should employ prophylactic measures in time.

External links